Chapter 5

Raif and Elizabeth were sitting on the porch of the post enjoying the cool shade of the warm spring day when they saw the wagons coming over the rise to the east.

“Looks like we have more traders coming, but it’s awful late in the year for traders,” Raif noted.

“Raif, that looks like Sky’s horse by the wagon and I don’t see Sky on him,”

“Yes it is his horse, I see Sky sitting on the first wagon. I’m telling you, that boy will never meet a stranger. I’m sure the man sitting next to him is getting an earful of questions.” Raif laughed as the wagons neared the post.

“My Lord Beth, do you know who that is on the lead wagon that Sky is talking to?”

“No I am afraid I don’t know him, but he’s wearing a cavalry hat. OH MY GOD IN HEAVEN, that’s Uncle Teddy,” Beth screamed and ran from the porch to meet them.

Sky watched with great emotion as he saw his mother run toward the wagons, he knew that she would be surprised to see her Uncle, but to see his mother running and screaming and laughing all at once made his heart swell with pride.

Before the wagons stopped rolling, Sky jumped to the ground and hugged his mother as she ran to him crying, her tears running down her face and laughing at the same time.

As soon as the wagon stopped, Sky reached up to steady the General as he climbed down the spokes of the wagon wheel.

The General turned, swept his hat off his head and bowed before his niece then grabbed her and swung her round and round, her feet flying out in wide circles as they both laughed and cried. The General stood Beth back to the ground then turned to see Raif standing straight and tall facing him. Raif stood stiffly at attention and crisply saluted the General as the General returned his salute then tossed Sky his campaign hat and grabbed Raif in a bear hug.

Now Sky felt the tears of pride really run from his eyes and down his face as he watched the two men standing so tall and straight, hugging each other, not saying a word, yet each telling the other how much they honored and loved the other. When the joyous meeting was settling down the General turned to Raif and Beth.

“Have you room at the inn for a weary stranger?” he laughed a booming laugh.

“We sure do Uncle, and our place is yours.”

“Then I plan to stay here for the rest of my days if you will have me.”

“As Beth just told you Sir, our place is yours,” Raif said.

“Raif do you have a place for my belongings until we can find permanent lodging for me,” The General asked.

“Tell the men to pull the wagons into the big barn over there and unhitch the teams, then come in the post and we will have a meal and all of you can rest.”

“These men are from my cavalry command, they’ve been with me for fifteen years, and when I decided to retire and come here, each one came to me and asked permission to come with me. We were together all through the war and now we all want to forget the fighting and the blood letting. We just want to live in peace. They will lodge with me and we’ll be equals now, I’m no longer their commanding officer.”

“Beth I think we have just the place for your Uncle and his men. More than enough room for the four of them too.”

“I know exactly what you’re thinking Raif and I couldn’t agree more, Uncle you and your men will live in our house by the creek not two miles from here, we hardly live there anymore anyway.”

“I didn’t come all this way to have you move out of your home to make room for me, I will build lodging of my own, for me and my men.”

“Nonsense Uncle, you are not in command here and you will do as I say for once in your life.” Beth looked at her Uncle and smiled.

“Lieutenant you have done a better job with this young lady than I hoped for when I shoved her into your arms and into your life,” the General laughed.

“Come Sir, rest and have a meal with us as tell me of your journey here, tomorrow we can take the wagons to your new home and unload them,” Sky told the General as he took his arm and led him to the post.

The next morning, after much laughing and stories told the night before, of Lieutenant Raiford Crenshaw and Beth Ann’s fiery and hurried courtship, the family woke early and made plans to get the General settled into his new home.

Sky helped get the teams hitched and the wagons out of the barn. Raif stayed at the post and the rest went up the trail to the home place.

As they came over the last hill and looked down on the homestead below, the General knew this was the place for him, this had to be a part of heaven itself. The house was a sprawling structure with cedar shingle roof and cedar side boards all around. There were many open windows to let light in and display the beautiful view of the hills to the north and the valleys to the south. There was a large barn for the animals and a smaller barn for storing hay and food for the winter. A large corral spread up the slope from the big barn. A smaller pen and a shelter were off to the side for the three goats.

Jane Asanpi Huku, ‘Jane with Mother Milk’ was standing looking out the door. She now moved back and forth between the post and the house to keep them both spotless. This was her payment for all the Crenshaw’s had done for her.

Jane was now a healthy young woman not yet thirty years old and very beautiful, now that she had gained weight and had reason to laugh and live.

She walked out in the open yard to meet the wagons with Sky riding alongside and Beth in her buggy with the tall gray haired gentlemen in the big blue hat.

“Jane, come meet my Uncle from the south, the one that raised me and allowed me to meet and marry Raif,” Beth said as she stepped from the buggy to hug her best friend.

“Uncle Teddy, I want you to meet this special young woman who nursed Sky as a baby and without whose help we would have been lost.”

The General looked at the young Indian woman and smiled as he opened his arms and hugged her to him.

“I’ve heard many good stories about you, young lady and it is my pleasure to say thank you for all you’ve done for my family.”

“Sir I have done nothing compared to what I have received from this family, after they took me in when Sky was but a baby years ago.”

“Do you spend a lot of time here or do you stay mostly at the post with the others?” The General asked.

“I make my home between the two places but I come here to spend my time alone and get away, after all the spring trading has passed.”

“Well, since I’ve been shooed here to live, I sure hope you’ll be here more often to keep me company out here on the plains.”

“I am sure Sir that I will be here as often as I am needed and as often as Beth tells me I can come back.”

“Good, now that we have all of that settled, we’ll begin to get me moved in here. Then after the dust settles around here again, I would like for you to walk with me and show me around the spread.”

Jane smiled shyly as she looked up at the tall man. Beth thought she noticed a slight blush spread under her light brown skin.

With all of them working and carrying goods into the house, the personal belongs of the General and household goods were inside, and Sky showed the men where to pull the wagons to best unload the larger and heavier items in the big barn.

They pulled two long, heavy wooden boxes from the back of one wagon, sacks of feed brought along on the trek for the horses from the second wagon. The third wagon was pulled up close to the door of the barn and many smaller wooden boxes and crates were unloaded and stacked inside away from the door. The wooden boxes were heavy made and heavy to handle, taking two men on each end to move the longer ones and two men on each box with the smaller ones.

Sky walked his mother to her buggy after they’d all said their goodbye’s for the day, and stood in the yard watching as she disappeared over the hill on her way back to the post.

Sky showed the men around the spread. Showing them where the creek came up within a few feet of the backside of the house. There was a water trough built into a corner of the corral where the fence made a long neck back up behind house to the creek. There was a wooden flume placed there for the water to constantly flow from the creek into the water trough then overflow out and back into the creek on the other end.

The General came out of the house and walked around until he found Sky and his men.

“Sky have you shown them enough to keep them from getting lost out here in the open plains?” the General laughed as did all the others.

“Yes Sir, I think they will fare well here, winter is still a few months away, so there will be plenty of time for all of you to ride and explore before the snow flies again.”

“How much snow do you normally get in these parts Sky?” one of the men asked.

“I have seen it drift up to the roofs on the barns when we get a big snow, then I have seen it snow for days with the wind blowing and the area here at the house would have no snow the way it is laid out at the base of the hills there.”

“Sky, I’ve never even seen snow and sure will be glad when we get to see our first snowfall.” One of the men laughed.

“It is beautiful to see the hills and valleys covered in snow with the sun shining and glistening. It will be so bright that it will make your eyes hurt,” Sky told them.

“We will be sure to have plenty of firewood cut and stacked alongside the house and as much as we can get in the barn nearest to the house,” he told them.

“It gets very cold in the late fall and sometimes doesn’t thaw again until mid spring,” he added.

“Sir would you mind if we saddle up the horses and ride over the hills and get our bearings before we unpack any more of the goods?” one man asked.

“You men go ahead and enjoy the country, we have the rest of our lives to do anything other than daily chores,” the General told them.

“Sky, I want to show you something in the barn that I brought especially for you, given to me by a close and respected friend.”

“Thank you Sir, I’m sure I’ll be happy with whatever you’ve brought me.”

Sky and the General walked to the barn and Sky showed him where all the boxes were stacked in rows along an inside wall.